San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-12-12
al
or,
HALF A TR ] 7 H .
BY THE DUCHESS. "

az am going up in November n live with
aunt Langley; she Is going to bring me out.
You don't seem pleased, Louis!' for his
brow had clouded and he turned suddenly
aside.
How should be2 Pray when was this
settled" asked the young man, almost
roughly
Her letter came this morning, and I'M
Gle viii wrote back at once"
What made her write She hasn't
troubled herself about you all these years.
she heard about the ball at bennington,
and said should be a success in London,
and"
Yes, that's IT, cried Louis, bitterly;
"that COMPOUNDED ball turning your head,
and those military tops fiattering you.
And now you are going to take London by
storm; and you'll just be spoiled utterly,
and taken away from me-that will be it!
Mr.. Herbert must be mad to let you go!
OF course you like ii; you're beautiful; and
all the girls like to be made much of"
Valerie turned white with passion.
IF that is all you have to say, Louis,
she said, springing to her feet, and facing
him haughtily, you can leave me! You
credit me with nothing but vanity. OF
course am glad to go to London; | am
sick of this stupid country life; and II aunt
Langley had not sent for me, | would get
ont Of it some other way. You cant love
me very much to think so badly of me"
y thoroughly girl like accusation, which
Of course brought her youthful lover to her
feet; and Valerie, having established her
power, relented, and fOrgave the delin-
quent-the more readily, perhaps, because
her conscience whispered that already the
tie between them was scarcely to her, q
chain of flowers.
Three days later came letter from Mrs.
Langley, thanking Mr.. Herbert for his
consent to the change in Valerie's life; and
saying that, early in November, when she
was fairly settled, she would come down
TO the Lines, and fetch the girl herself.
And meanwhile Valerie devoured all
news of the war; and more than once her
heart throbbed, and her eyes filled with
tears, for she saw Max Beauregard's name
connected with some act of conspicuous
bravery. Once it was, 1.-The extraordinary
skill and daring Of Captain Beauregard,
which drove back considerable body of
the enemy" Captain Beauregard having
but handful of men, for he was complete
ly cut off from the main body" A war
correspondent, speaking of various officers,
wrote:
Captain Beauregard seems to bear a
charmed life. He was in the thick of the
terrible fight at -, and escaped unhurt,
while men were dropping on all sides.
At n was entirely-at one time-sur-
rounded by the enemy; but cut his way
through, escaping with only slight flesh
wound in the arm. The men simply adore
him. He is a first-rate officer, and looks
after his men as if, one said to me, we
were his own brothers. ~
This was all passing sweet to Valerie;
and everything about Beauregard she cut
out of the papers and kept. Then she had
long letter from Mrs. Fanshawe, who
told her many precious little details about
what was going on at the front; and the
girl, writing back told her kind friend
about her own change of fortune, news
which Mrs Fanshawe passed on to Max
Beauregard, with the comment:
II am scarcely pleased to hear this. The
girl is too lovely to be under the care Of a
wOrldly-minded woman, such as feel sure
Mrs. Langley is. Ten to one Valerie will
be spoiled"
And Max Beauregard, IA he read, sighed
heavily. Would Valerie Herbert, when he
returned-if ever that should happen-be
the Valerie he had left?